Saturday, June 16, 2012

The Builder of Cathedrals is a Stone Mason


The Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khufu


The job of the stonemason has lasted ever since the beginning of civilization and is another example of the job that have. Most of the great monuments of antiquity were all built using the stonemason’s craft, and this is gone on throughout history starting with the earliest. Pyramid’s of Egypt to the newest most modern skyscrapers in the world. The stonemason's work can be found on every continent except perhaps Antarctica.

In practice the stonemason's craft is shaping rough pieces of building stone into highly accurate geometric shapes that are mostly simple but there are some that are considerably complex. When the stonemason has finished shaping the stone he has to then arrange the stones with mortar to form buildings and other structures.

There are several different kinds of work involved in the stonemasonry trade. A quarrymen is the one who splits the rock from bedrock and extracts the resulting blocks of stone from the quarry. A Sawyer is one who cuts the rough blocks of stone into squared blocks using a diamond tipped saw. A banker mason is one who is working in a shop their specialty is working the stones into the intricate shapes required for a buildings design. In effect the banker mason is a form of sculptor. Even closer to a sculptor is a Stone Carver they use their artistic ability to carve foliage, figurines, animals or other abstract designs into the stone. The fixer are masons specializing in fixing the stones into buildings and other structures using various kinds of lifting tackle along with the traditional lime mortars and grouts.

At times modern cements are made use of including mastics, epoxy resins are sometimes used in place of the traditional mortar and grout. These modern cements are usually used on applications as stone cladding, sticking a stone panel onto a wall. He also uses metal fixings their range from simple dowels and cramps to specialized single application fixings. This is a job requiring precision making this a highly skilled and paid job.

The last job that is found in the stonemasonry trade is that of the Memorial mason, or monumental mason who specializes in the art of forming and carving gravestones and inscriptions on other stones.

Today's stonemason has to undergo considerable training both in the classroom and on the job site. In this trade hands-on skill is required knowing the into the properties of each stone used, in its application or the best places for use. The level of knowledge has to include how to cut the stone and fix it in place. For he also has to carry out one or all the various branches found in stonemasonry. Some stonemasons specialize in one part of the craft, others work are crossed a broad spectrum of jobs in the field.

Stonemasonry is a highly paid craft that is much in demand.

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